Jakarta - Ashgabat: Meeting of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan with the ASEAN Secretary General and Political Consultations
In Jakarta on July 14, a meeting was held between the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Akhmet Gurbanov and the Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Dr. Kao Kim Horn. This visit comes as part of a busy week at the organization’s headquarters, where issues of climate adaptation, green energy and reducing methane emissions in the region are currently being actively discussed.
Against this dynamic background, Ashgabat is promoting the initiative to create a permanent dialogue format “Central Asia + ASEAN”, which should become a reliable bridge for economic and logistics interaction between the two regions.
At the Association Secretariat, the parties discussed in detail the possibilities of practical content of this format, highlighting transport connectivity, digital economy and joint innovation as priorities.
The promotion of this initiative was also supported by the Indonesian side during the first ever bilateral political consultations between the foreign ministries of Turkmenistan and Indonesia, held under the leadership of Akhmet Gurbanov and his colleague Santo Darmosumarto.
Indonesia, being one of the leaders and economic engine of ASEAN, sees great potential in the entry of Turkmen business into the markets of Southeast Asia. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan consolidated this topic during negotiations with the Deputy Minister of Trade of Indonesia, Diah Roro Esti Widya Putri. The parties agreed not to limit themselves to declarations, but to get down to business: preparing direct contacts between chambers of commerce and industry, organizing mutual business missions and national exhibitions.
This busy schedule of meetings in Jakarta shows that Ashgabat is moving from a general diplomatic presence to building specific trade routes and long-term partnerships in one of the fastest growing markets on the planet.
